#WBTVandMe Super Bowl Commercial with Thomas Davis Youth Academy

Behind the Scenes: A look at the making of WBTV's Super Bowl Ad

By: WBTV Web Staff

Posted: 02/07/2016 8:09 PM

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Big brands pay millions for a few seconds in the Super Bowl, and local television stations also get a few select spots to sell that can make or break an annual budget. So, when you see a local news commercial during the Super Bowl, it’s no small investment.

The pressure is on to create something that holds its own against Clydesdales, celebrities and, this year, slow-motion weiner dogs. The world’s top advertising agencies show off their best work and, with the Carolina Panthers in this year’s game, approximately 1.8 million people in the WBTV viewing area will tune in.

Our spot, “#WBTVandMe,” started taking shape back in mid-December when Bella Boca PR responded to our request with, “Sounds like a great idea.” We were hoping their client, 2015 NFL Man of the Year Thomas Davis, would be interested in appearing in our spot. Thankfully, he was.

The spot features Davis’ Defending Dreams Foundation Youth Leadership Academy along with local first responders, volunteers and others. Thanks to suggestions from WBTV employees, we worked with Fort Mill Police Department, Tega Cay Fire Department, Catawba County EMS, Hickory Police & Fire Departments, Second Harvest Food Bank, AAU Youth Basketball and added clips from WBTV News & First Alert Weather coverage. One of the opening scenes was also made possible by the generous cooperation of the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections.

It was important for the community to be prominent in this spot because the idea is about teamwork. We’re so thankful to Thomas Davis and his entire organization for their participation. We also thank everyone at the station and in the community who helped us with the spot, especially those who many have ended up on the cutting room floor because we simply had too many options to fit into thirty seconds.

Finally, thank YOU for watching, clicking and sharing the stories we work so hard to share every day.